Indicator for motor vehicles



Marh. 18, 1930. w. HuELLr-:R 1,751,206

INDICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES4 Filed Feb. 12, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 /MaAT1-ORN Y -hialtth 18, 1930. w HUELLER 1,751,206

INDICATOR F013. MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Feb. 12, 1929 `3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1af I5 INVENTOR March 13 1930 w. HUELLER 1,751,206

INDICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Feb. 12, v1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 f I 51 *A INVENTOR Wlzzer fue Z Patented Mar. 18, 193.0

WALTER HUELLER, OF WEST "YORK,` JERSEY INDICATOR FOB MOTOR VEHICLESApplication led' 'February 12, 1929. Serial No. 339,339.

This invention relates to indicators for motor vehicles, and has for itsprimary object and purpose to provide a simply constructed andefficiently operating device which may be easily and quickly operated bythe motorist to indicate to other motorists or pedestrians, hisintentions as to the controlV andV operation of the vehicle.

It is a more-particular object of the invention to provide. a device forthe above purpose embodying the movable legend carrying member suitablymounted upon the body of the vehicle and operatingrmeans thereforautomatically actuated by the operation of the steering wheel to movesaid member to a position indicating either a right or left hand turn.-

It is also a more particular object of the invention to provide asa partof sai-d operating. means for the movable indicating member, a leverhavin-g releasable engagement with they steering wheel and whereby saidoperating means may be independently actuated to move said member anddisplay other legends carried thereby.

With the above andeother objects in view, the invention consists in theimproved indicating device for motor vehicles, and in the form,construction and relative arrangement of its several partsT as will behereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, andl subsequently incorporated in the subj oined claims.V

In the draw-ings, wherein I have illustrated 3.5 one simple andpractical embodiment of the invention, and in which similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,-

Figure lis a side elevation showing a motor vehiclev in dotted lines asequipped with my improved indicating device Fig. 2 is a detail sectionalview of a part of the operating means for the indicator and showing theactuating lever therefor operatively connected with the steering wheel;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail section illustratingother parts of the operatingmeans for the drctOIl indicator; i

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken Yon the liv-ne 5-5 of Fig.4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the indicating devices, the housingthereof' being partly shown in section; 55

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken on the line 7-7of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section taken on the line 8-8V ofl Fig. 7; v Y

Fig. 9 is a similar sectionalfview taken on 60 the line 9-9 of Fig. 7,and

Fig. l0 is a plan vview of the steering wheel and the parts of theindicator operating means directly associated therewith.

Referring for thepresent more particularly to Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive ofthe drawings, each indicating device, one of which may be mounted eitheronly` at the rear end of the vehicle, or at the front end aswell, yincludes a suitably formedvhousing indicated .70 at 5. In the presentinstance, this housing is shown as of a genera-l cylindrical shape andat one side thereof, the body wall of the housing is provided With alongitudinally extending opening 6 therein. Within this 75 housing, arotatable indicating member is supported upon a hollow shaft shown at 7extending axially through saidhousi-ng and suitably mounted in the.opposite end walls thereof. The indicating memberincludes the spacedheads 8 directly journalled on the shaft 7 and connected with each otherat spaced points and adjacent their peripheries by the bars9. Upon thesebars the opposite longitudinal edges of translucentglass plates l0 aresupported and rigidly secured in any suitable manner. The'bars 9' andtheplates l() in the illustrated embodiment of the deviceare of such numberand so arranged as Y to provide a drum or elongated cylinder ofoctagonal 'form in cross section.A Each` of these translucent plates l0bears a suitable K indicative word or legend, which in certain cases maybe associated with a symbol. The plates l()v may be white while theareas of V said plates defining the letters and symbols maybe suitablycolored, or on the other hand, the letters and symbols may remain whitewhile the other parts of the glass plate are Colored. g

l/Vithin the drum formed by the translucent 11 is arranged and suitablymounted in vspaced brackets 12 fixed on the shaft 7. The

currentsupply wires for this lamp indicated at 13 are extended throughthe hollow shaft 7. One of the heads 8 is formed with a recess 14 in oneside thereof to receive the spiral spring 15, one end of which issuitably fixed to the head 8 while the other end thereof is attached t-othe lug or projection 16V projecting inwardly from the end wall of thehousing 5. This spring 15 acts to yieldingly hold the rotatableindicator drum against rotation in a normal position with a lug 17 onthe opposite end head thereof in contact with the stop lug 18 on theinner face of the Vadjacent end wall of the housing 5.

The housing 5 to be mounted upon the rear end of the motor vehicle maybe provided at its lower side with compartments, one of Y which isindicated at 19. Each compartment contains-a lamp 20, one of these lampsconstituting a tail light and the rear side of the compartment beingclosed by the translucent colored glass plate 21. The other compartmenthouses the stop light which is operated from thevehicle brakepedal inthe usual way and the rear side of said compartment is closed bythecolored glass plate 21a having the word Stop7 thereon. The lower side ofthe compartment 19 housing the stop light consists of an uncolored glassplate 22 through which the light rays from the lamp may pass toilluminate the license'plate indicated at 13.

The operating means for the rotatable in- .Y dicator member includes ashaft 24`mounted closelyv adjacent to the steering post 25 lin parallelrelation therewith and journalled at its upper and lower ends insuitable bearings 26-on said post. o i Y To the lower end of this shaft24 a beveled pinion "27 is fixed and meshes witha beveled gear 23 on oneend of the transversely positioned shaft 29; A'double grooved pulley30is also fixed on the latter shaft. A flexible cord or cable 31 has oneof its ends engaged in one groove of the pulley 30 and fixed thereto,said cable being trained around 'Y a suitably placedguide sheave 32 andex- 1 end ofsa-id cable is engaged in a peripheralv groove l33 formed onone of the drum heads tending into the indicator housing 5 at the rearend of the motor vehicle where the other 8 and securely lixed at itsextremity to said head.

l A similar flexible cable 34 may be engaged in the other groove of thepulley 30 and ex- "tended forwardly therefrom and connected withtherotatable indicating member mounted upon the forward end of the motorvehicle as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

' The steering shaft 35 extends above vthe upper end of the post 25 andhas the usualsteerfinger 40 iixed'to the shaft bearing 36 projects. Itwill be understood that there are the same number of these surfacesections 39, as the number of drum panels or plates 10, the col-ors ofsaid surface sections corresponding to the different colors onthe'translucent plates 10 of the rotatable indicating member. A

To the bearing hub extension of the gearl 37 one end of a lever 41 ispivotally connected as at 42. This lever extends radially beneath thesteering wheel and beyond the perimeter thereof has its other endupwardly offset and s provided with a suitable finger piece 43. Adjacentto the latter end of the lever and within the rim of the steering wheel,said lever is provided with spaced upstanding lingers 44 which areadapted to normally engage the opposite edges of one of the radial armsof the steering wheel. The lever 41 is yieldingly held in this positionby means of a Suitable leaf spring 45 bearing against the under side ofsaid lever adjacent to its pivoted end 42.

' In one practical form of the invention, the indicator plates 10 may beprovided for instance, with such indicative words or legends as Go, LTurn, 1%. Turn, Slow Down, Pass and Back Up.l Assuming that in a` lin-eof traffic the car equipped with the indicator is preceded and followedby other cars 'proper direction. Thus, since the lever 40 is held inconnection with lthe steering wheel by the fingers 44, said lever willalso be moved,

thereby transmitting rotation to gear 37 and rotating shaft 24. v

The gear ratios transmitting movement to the cable 31 are such thatthere will be sulfi-v ilu cient rotation of the indicator drumtoA disisCarried by the hub eneni ently of the steering wheel, against the actionof the spring l5. This frictional resistance is not however,sufficiently great to prevent the independent turning movement of thesteering shaft 35.

If the motorist desires to proceed into an intersecting' street orhighway, thereby makin@ a sharp turn either to the right or to the left,a greater' movement of the steering wheel will be required, in suchcase, before the index member 40 has moved beyond either of the coloredareas 2 or 3 as th-e case may be, the end of the lever 4l having thefinger piece 43 is depressed, thus disconnecting the operating mechanismfor the indicator from the steering wheel and disposingl the upstandinglugs 44 below the steering wheel arm. The indicator drum will beretained in its adjusted position, after pressure upon the lever 41 isreleased by the screw 37', while the movement of the steering wheel 36is continued independently of said lever. After making the turn, theoperator then returns the lever 41 to its former position, and againengages the lugs 44 thereon with one of the spokes or arms of thesteering wheel, in which position the word Gro7 is displayed by theindicator.

Therefore, after the movement of the steering wheel has been reversed toagain proceed on a straight path, it is necessary to slightly depressthe lever so that its lingers 44 may again be positioned at oppositesides of the steering wheel arm. Any one of the other legends carried bythe plates 10 may similarly be displayed at any time by disconnectingthe lever 4l from the steering wheel and independently actuating theoperating means for the rotatable indicator member.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation and severaladvantages of my invention will be clearly and fully understood. It willbe seen that I have devised a direction indicator for motor vehicles inwhich the several parts are of simple mechanical form, compactlyarranged and readily applicable as an accessory to motor vehicles of thepresent standard constructions without necessitating any materialalterations therein. The mechanical operating connections associatedwith the' that the same may be embodied in various v other alternativestructures, and I accordingly-gfreserve?thefprivilege'of resortingtofall such legitimate" changes therein' as` may-"be fairlyincorporated' within the spi-rit and scope er' the -rventonfas-elaimeml?. In combination; with ya; motor' indicating means! carried' by the*vehicle and havinga movablef indicator member, and operating' means forsaidi indicator member nel-'udinga manually operable part for actuating?saidA operating mea/ns1mountedz fory independent movementfin ai plaine3at rightI angles-to the' plane or the" steering wheeliand having mean'sftol rele'asably' engage" af part of* said wheel wherebys'aid operatingmeans may beI actuated simultaneously with thel Inanipulationof theVsteering wheeli 2L In combination witha motor" vehicle, indicating meanscarried by the"l vehiclefand lifavinga movable ind-io'ator'member, andoperati-ng meansl for said' indicator member inclfudinga member'mounte'i beneath the steering wheel of the' vehicle for rotation inrespect thereto, operating` connections: between said member and thefindicator" member,I an oicratinglever pivotally mountedl upon saidrotatable member' to actuatef the Vlatter'A independently of thesteering wheel; and means oirsaid lever for relea'sably connecting; the

' same with part of the steeringwheel whereby said wheel and therotatable memberl may be= aet-uateda's a unit.f

3. In combination with a motor Vehicle, indicating means carried by thevehicle including a rotatably mounted indicator memer, and operatingmeans for said member including a shaft mounted-upon the steering postin parallel relation thereto, operating connections between the lowerend of said shaft and the rotatable indicator member,` and means forrotating said shaft including a manually operable part movable relativeto vehicle,

said shaft and having means for releasable engagement with a part of thesteering wheel whereby said shaft may be rotated in the ma-4 nipulationof the steering wheel or independently thereof.

4. In combination with a motor vehicle, indicating means carried by thevehicle including a rotatably mounted indicator mem-- ber, and operatingmeans for said member including a shaft mounted upon the steering postin parallel relation thereto, operating connections between the lowerend of said shaft and the rotatable indicator member,-a gear memberloosely mounted upon the upper end of the steering shaft for rotationindependently thereof and in constant mesh with a pinion on the upperend of said first named shaft, and an operating member conf nected withsaid gear having means releasably engageable with a part of the steeringwheel whereby said gear is actuated simultaneously with themanipulations of said wheel, and said operating member being alsomanually operable independently of the steering Wheel to actuate saidgear.

5. vIn combination with a motor vehicle having a Steering Wheel shaft,an indicator carried by the vehicle, and operating means for saidindicator including a gear element directly and loosely mounted on theupper end of thevsteering shaft, and an operating s member for said gearelement movably carried thereby and having means for releasableengagement with a part of the steering Wheel whereby said gear elementmay be actuated by movement of the steering Wheel, or independently ofthe latter.

6. In combination With a motor vehicle 4having a steering Wheel shaft,an indicator carried b the vehicle, and operating means for saidindicator including a gear element directly and-loosely mounted on theupper end of the steering shaft, and an operating lever pivotallyconnected at one'of its ends with said gear elementl to actuate thelatter independently of the steering shaft, and said lever carryingmeans releasably engageable With a part of the'steering Wheel andthrough the medium of which, unitary rotation may be imparted to thesteering shaft and said gear element.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name hereto.

WALTER HUELLER.

